One of the founders of the Delta Youth Orchestra has died.
Anita Andrés Sleeman, a composer and conductor, as well as one of the founding members of the Delta Youth Orchestra, died last month at her home in North Vancouver.
She was 80. Daughter Julie Andrés said her family lived in Tsawwassen in the late 1960s and early '70s. In addition to helping form the Delta Youth Orchestra (DYO) she also played with the Delta Stage Band.
Sleeman studied music and composition at UBC with Jean Coulthard and Cortland Hultberg, earning a bachelor of music in 1971, the same year she helped start the DYO.
Andrés said her mother remained involved with the orchestra even after the family moved from the area.
She attended the 30year reunion in 2001 and was working on a special composition for the 40th anniversary when she died Oct. 18.
While continuing her studies at UBC, she obtained a graduate fellowship and taught in the Electronic Music Studio. She earned her masters in music in 1974.
Sleeman was a mem-ber of the music faculty at Capilano College for a number of years before she returned to California to attend graduate school at the University of Southern California.
She received her doctorate in 1982.
Sleeman's compositions have premiered in London, England and Fiuggi, Italy, as well as Ottawa, Windsor and Vancouver.
She acted as musical director and conductor of West Vancouver's Ambleside Orchestra for 17 years before retiring in 2010.
A memorial service will be held on Nov. 26 at 2 p.m. at St. Christopher's Anglican Church in West Vancouver.
In lieu of flowers, the family is welcoming donations in her name to the Variety Club of B.C.
